On Feb 28, 9:50 pm, Rich McAllister K6RFM wrote:
writes:
On Feb 27, 8:15?pm, Rich McAllister K6RFM wrote:
DX hams have to copy
their license and another piece of government ID and send this by
international physical mail to Newington. Doesn't sound like much, but
copying and mailing documents isn't necessarily cheap or easy, and I
suspect that not everybody still has a physical copy of the license.

I don't get it, Rich. I don't know of any administration that
DOESN'T issue some sort of hardcopy document for a license.

Well, note I said "not everybody still has", not "ever had". Some
people take pride just in the fact of having the license, or in the
accomplishments they've made after getting it, rather than in the
piece of paper; not to mention the possibility of simply losing it
over time. "It's in the house -- somewhere!"

I've never operated from a DX country where one did not need to keep
tabs on his license. Many foreign countries issue licenses *yearly*.

Mine's
both on the wall and in my pocket, and both are points of pride.

Unless you're using the one working copier in Mogadishu chances
are the copy price isn't more than the equivilent of $1, and another
$1-3 to mail it, depending on the method...So...A one time expense of
less than $5.00...Tell me what DX station can't afford this and I'll
spot them the fin!

The hassle is probably much more of a barrier than the monetary
cost, for sure.

Even in places like Sierra Leone, it is possible to find a street
corner stand with a copy machine. If the object is being able to
participate in the LOTW program, what real barrier is presented by
having to photocopy a couple of documents and mail them?

What we have here is your opinion of what might be a reasonable effort
for someone else to make, versus the opinions I heard from people who
would actually have to make the effort; I find the second more
convincing.

I disagree with you, Rich. If there are DX station who find it too
much trouble to participate in LOTW, let them be non-participants.
Either they want to participate or not. Copying and mailing documents
aren't the real difficulty of using LOTW.

[from .com]

To me, the real reward of the QSO, other than having made a new
acquaintence, is that card that I know was actually in his/her hands
(big DXpeditions and QSL-managed stations aside...)

Opinions do differ. Some people don't care much about QSLs at all;
this is a pretty common (not universal!) attitude among
contesters.

Again, I disagree. Many contesters are also DXers. They understand
that the other guy is attempting to confirm a QSL for awards credit.
A number of them send out QSLs to every station worked in a contest,
the object being to insure that those stations work the contester the
next time 'round. I don't know of any contester who does not at least
respond to direct or bureau QSLs.

LOTW would never be a satisfactory substitute for people
like you who love the physical QSL, but it does have the ability to
make one sizeable group -- award chasers -- happy while reducing the
overall hassle for another sizeable group -- contesters and to some extent
DXpeditioners.

There's nothing at all wrong with using both LOTW and direct, paper
QSL cards.
On the other hand, I don't respond to any "QSL's" via E-QSL. Those
confirmations don't count toward many awards and certainly don't count
for DXCC credit.


Dave K8MN